The True Dark Side (Short Story)
by endertwelve
Summary: What is the dark side? What is a Sith? Are emotions weaknesses or strengths? Which are they?


"Stay in file and don't fidget."

The padawans get into position as they stood in file and watched their master with eagerness, but patience. He watches them fall into line and nods. "At ease" he said with a wave of his hand.

They relax as they put their hands behind their back and watch him. The master meandered a bit before thinking of what to say, the student patiently watching him. "…what is it to be a Sith, my pupils?" he asked them.

One of them rose their hands quickly. He smirks a bit as he points to him. "To be powerful?" he asked.

"No."

The student was a bit confused, lowering his hand. The Sith master kept walking in front of his students, looking off elsewhere. "Anyone else?" he asked them. Another rose her hand shyly. "Yes?"

"To be strong?"

"That's the same thing as powerful. No."

Another rose his hand. He nods.

"(To become wise?)"

"If that were the case, then we wouldn't have so many of us die off" he joked. The students didn't find it funny, finding it rather morbid as they stared at him in shock. He rolls his eyes a bit under his helmet. "A mere joke, padawans. Relax. Knowledge is important, yes. In fact, it is greatly encouraged if you want to succeed at being a Sith. To learn and to make mistakes is the beauty of sentience. To know right from wrong is a blessing, not a curse. To know that you can choose what you want is something mere beasts, fighting and clawing for survival, could never have the luxury of attaining." The students looked down, thinking of the answer. One of them said, "To be in tune with the dark side?" He tilts his head a bit as he walked along in his circle. "While that _is _important, it's not what what makes a Sith a Sith. I won't answer it for you, but I'll lead up to it" he said as they looked back up at him.

"To be in tune with the dark side is a powerful ally. The Force can be controlled and altered to however you like. But, it's better to let it flow than to grip it. Coil it around you and let it course through."

"That sounds like-"

"No, it's not the Jedi way. Jedi simply use themselves as vessels for the Force, letting _it _control _them_. We use it for _ourselves_. The Force is a part of all life and we can use it to our own will, but use it too much and it will destroy you. Much like tightening a screw: adjust it too much and twist it too hard, it'll break your tool. _You _are the tool. Now, what is a Sith's most important weapon? Do not say lightsaber, it is a mere weapon that can be destroyed like anything else. Therefore, is fruitless to depend on your life _solely_." He waits as the students took their time to answer. One raises their hand.

"The Force?"

"Important, but the Force is as fickle as its user. Not everyone is adept with it, even with intense practice." Another raises their hand.

"Their feelings." He smiles under his helmet and points at him. "Yes. Their emotions." The student smiles a bit.

"Emotions are what drive a Sith, what progresses them. What makes them stronger, wiser, and powerful" he said, pointing at the ones that made the very same points. "An emotion is their most powerful ally, my padawans. A Jedi would call them dangers, hazards, a tool for evil. But I say that having no emotions is idiotic! A warrior without anything to drive him allows for a quick and easy death. One that lives without fear has no drive to succeed, to become more, to be in tune with _themselves_. To know yourself is to know how to be a better person. A better warrior. A better _Sith_."

The students smiled a bit at that. One raises his hand. "But won't fear destroy me? I mean…I'm so scared to try anything and I'm afraid that I will fail…" The master walks up to the student, kneeling down. "Fear is your ally, my pupil. Fear is what should be your _fuel_, not your _dampener_. Fear is what drives you to be better, to _not _be afraid. To face your fears, learn yourself, to _conquer _them. A pathetic Jedi will tell you that fear is what leads to suffering, but I counter; only if you let it rule you. The Jedi always believe that emotions are what cloud the judgment of a warrior, but I believe it sharpens it! Letting go of fear is a fruitless endeavor, because of course you will be afraid! Fear is what makes you stronger, to overcome yourself and drive you to become better. To become brave and courageous, instead of freely allowing yourself to die at any moment. It only invites you to your death all the sooner! Letting your emotions control you is what differentiates a Sith from dead weight. _You _are not dead weight. You are a powerful Sith warrior waiting to overcome their obstacles and see it through to the end." The student smiles a bit. "Now, tell me, my students; what is the most powerful emotion for a Sith?"

The one in front of him raises his hand. The Sith master smiles and raises a hand, shaking his head. "No, it's not fear" he states. The student frowns and lowers his hand. Another raises her hand. "Is it happiness?"

"Happiness is fleeting, and you won't find happiness in the battlefield." Another raises their hand.

"Hatred?" The students agree and nod in unison, finding that to be the right answer. The master frowns. "Anger…hatred…rage…a fool's tool used as an excuse for _power_. Anger, though powerful, is self-destructive. Any Sith will tell you that hatred is what they use to be in tune with the dark side, but it's not. Anger causes pain to yourself, more than to others. It is destructive, chaotic, and unreliable like a flimsy and brittle sword. Do _not _rely on this, my students. It will end you quickly."

They were stumped, not sure what to say. "I will answer, then" he said. "The answer…is love."

The students chuckled a bit, thinking it was a joke. The master didn't laugh, quickly silencing the students. "Love can be dangerous if not handled well, my padawans. Much like anger, it can be self-destructive. But love is the most powerful emotion a Sith can utilize, and can be controlled more so than anger ever could. Think about it. Think about something that you love, very dearly. Think it clearly and without pause nor interruption. What makes you happy, warm, inviting, loved. Make it a powerful image in your mind, my students."

The room was quiet, but the students had their eyes closed and smiled to themselves about what they loved. Some of them thought of food, their friends, their family (of course), their teachers, and some of them even loved themselves. "Now, channel that into your minds and into your body. Let them be your guidance, your stars, your way of being. Protect your loves, embrace them, use them to help you win and conquer your fears. This emotion can drive any man or woman to do whatever they can, as long as they have the will to. And a master of the dark side knows this no better than any other so-called "Sith lord." Don't you see, my padawans? Emotions are not a weakness. They are our strength. No other emotion like passion, determination, and _love _can drive us to be better than what we are. A person cannot become more than what they are by abandoning what _makes _them who they are. Our feelings are what separate us from the Jedi, what makes us people that understand to care, to protect, and to use these so-called "weaknesses" that they love to claim it to be. Love can drive people mad with how much it can intoxicate them, if not used correctly. It can drive them to do the impossible, for the sake of their loves. It would allow them to die for the sake of seeing their loves live. But loving yourself is important! Respect yourself and learn that mistakes are what help us grow! Loving yourself is a blade that can cut through the very air a lightsaber could never. And love is something that can never break you unless you let it. Don't let love rule over you, like it has so many others lost to its influence. Control it, mediate it, and balance it. Extremes and absolutes are what destroy a Sith, not what make them stronger."

The master then smiles at them. "And that is the lesson for today, my pupils. Learn it well, and learn to love!"


End file.
